The happiest moment of the day
Before the main interview, Scott questioned research suggesting that the first few moments after waking were often the happiest part of the day. He strongly disagreed from the perspective of a 4am alarm, when he was trying not to fall over the dog or wake Sam.
Listeners offered alternatives: returning home to an excited dog, removing a bra, getting into bed and arriving at work after the difficult first part of the morning. Scott said that reaching the studio might be his happiest point, while bedtime remained a strong competitor.
The programme also replayed Heav’s social-media response to the previous day’s Birthday Game. She joked that she and Scott were now close friends and that once he saw her in person there would be “no going back”. Scott said the team wanted her on the programme again.
Elton John
Scott travelled to Elton John’s home for the main Big Guest Friday interview. The setting allowed a longer conversation than a standard studio appearance, with Elton discussing his life, career and the work he had recently completed with Brandi Carlile.
Elton reflected on the scale of his catalogue and the unusual experience of hearing songs remain part of people’s lives for decades. Scott asked about the difference between revisiting established hits and entering a room to create something new.
The conversation also covered Elton’s health, family and the changes in his priorities after ending large-scale touring. He remained interested in new artists and new records, describing discovery and collaboration as central to keeping his enthusiasm alive.
Scott raised the long relationship between Elton and Radio 2, as well as the many times Elton’s music had appeared across the station. Elton responded with memories of radio as a way of finding records and understanding what was happening beyond his immediate world.
The interview avoided becoming solely retrospective by concentrating on the new creative partnership with Brandi. Elton spoke about the energy she brought to the sessions and why he had wanted the project to feel like a genuine collaboration rather than a guest appearance attached to an Elton John record.
Brandi Carlile
Brandi Carlile joined the conversation to explain how the work with Elton had developed. She described the mixture of excitement and pressure involved in writing alongside someone whose records had influenced her long before they became friends.
She talked about the point at which admiration had to give way to practical studio work. Treating Elton only as an icon would have made an equal collaboration impossible, so both artists had to be willing to challenge ideas and discard material that was not working.
Brandi discussed their different musical instincts and the way those differences shaped the songs. Elton could move quickly and decisively at the piano, while she brought her own approach to lyrics, harmony and vocal arrangement.
The conversation also explored friendship outside the studio. Brandi spoke warmly about Elton’s support for other artists and his habit of contacting people when he heard work he admired. Scott noted how many musicians had stories of receiving an unexpected call from him.
Together, Elton and Brandi presented the project as something neither would have made alone. The title Who Believes in Angels? captured the shared identity of the record and the sense that the collaboration had opened a new creative chapter.
The Easiest Quiz
Alison from Edinburgh, a teacher and enthusiastic karaoke singer, was nominated by her husband Ian. Her usual song was Fairground Attraction’s Perfect, although she admitted she had “murdered” Defying Gravity at New Year. Dan’s 20 points from Wednesday were the score to beat.
Alison reached 24, answering questions about coffee, Monopoly, birthday candles, trees, zebras, redheads, carrots, squares, ice, Radio 2 presenters, snowmen, Cyndi Lauper, Disney princesses and the Eiffel Tower. The quiz briefly challenged her “red velvet” answer to “a type of cake”, but allowed it after she pleaded her case. It also paused dramatically over “lawnmower” when she reached 20.
She moved ahead with Aldi, “not” as a rhyme for hot, lemonade, and Humpty Dumpty. Her run ended on “How many zeros come after the one in 1,000?” when she answered four instead of three. Alison said the error was particularly bad because she was a teacher, but Scott told “Mrs Whiteman” she had not shamed herself. She won the week’s solitary egg cup and Scott played Perfect in her honour.
Good Morning Minute
The Good Morning Minute captured Friday plans, school runs, final shifts and listeners already thinking about the weekend. Scott selected the most distinctive details and tried to include as many people as possible before the minute ended.
7 February 2025: the handover
Scott handed over after an edition built around the Elton John and Brandi Carlile conversation. The exchange looked back at the first week of Piano Room Month and ahead to the station’s Friday schedule.
The handover also gave Scott a final opportunity to underline the scale of the morning’s interview: rather than bringing the guests into the studio, he had travelled to Elton’s home and allowed the discussion to unfold across the hour.
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